Manually-propelled aeroplane



B. TOMKAY. MANUALLY PROPELLED AEROPLANE.

APPUCATION man 0m. 25. 1921.

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B. TOMKAY.

MANUALLY PROPELLED AEROPLANE,

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 25; 192i.

Patented Apr. 18, 1922.

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BE'LA TOMKAY, or GARY, INDIANA.

MANUALLY-PROPELLED AEBOPLANE.

Application filed October 25, 1921.

' polled aeroplanes, and it has for an object to provide a simple arrangement whereby such an aeroplane may be given an initial run along the ground and then launched into the air and propelled therethrough.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel form of propeller arranged to give a combined lifting and propelling action.

For 'further comprehension of the inven tion, and of the objects and. advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

Fig. 1 of the drawings is a side elevation, with the lifting plane partly in vertical section, of a manually propelled aeroplane constructed according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is an underside plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a front view.

Fig. 4 is a detail elevation of one of the propellers with its drive shaft and support,

showing these parts as they appear when the machine is seen in front view.

Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the same parts at right angles to Fig. 4.

In constructing my improved manually propelled aeroplane I provide a frame 10 resembling an elongated bicycle frame and mounted on a pair of bicycle wheels 11. From the front and rear ends of this frame posts 12 and 13 project upwardly and have mounted on their upper ends a lifting plane 14. The front post 12 is of Y-form and the lifting plane 14 is pivotally attached to its branched upper end as at 15. At the rear end a pair of transversely spaced posts 13 are provided and are connected at their lower ends by suitable cross braces to the frame 10. A seat 10 is provided between the posts 13.

The rear posts 13 have also a pivotal con nection with the lifting plane by means of a short link 16 and are of telescopic construction, the upper section of each post fitting into the lower section and having a Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 18, 1922..

Serial No. 510,306.

foot 17 on its lower end projecting outwardly through a vertical slot in the lower se tion. A coiled tension spring 13 connects this foot with a head 13 fixed to the top of the lower section. From the upper post section a pair of springs 19 lead respectively upwardly and forwardly and upwardly and rearwa-rdly to the lifting plane. The rear end of the lifting plane may be depressed, to give the plane the proper angle of incidence for raising in the air, by means of a cord or wire 20 attached thereto and leading around a pulley 21 to a hand lever 23 p voted on the frame 10 and provided with well known locking means.

At the rear of the lifting plane a rudder 25 is'mounted, being operated by ropes 26 connected to a tiller bar 27 and leading forwardly to a second transverse bar 27 operable by a handwheel 28 on frame 10.

For propelling my improved aeroplane I provide a pair of rotary propellers each comprising a pair of radially projected flat blades 30 mounted to make a quarter turn on their radial axes. These blades are fixed on a rod 31 suitably journaled in a box 32 fixed to the end of a transverse shaft 33, it being understood that a propeller is mounted on each end of this shaft. This shaft 33 is 1'0- tated by means of a sprocket chain 34 looped over a sprocket wheel thereon and over a sprocket wheel 36 carried by the frame 10 and rotated in a well. known manner by pedals 37.

The blades 30 on the opposite ends of rod 31 are arranged at an angle of ninety degrees to one another and means are provided to rock the red at the proper time so as to cause the blade which is moving forwardly to out the air edgewise, and the blade which is moving rearwardly to beat the air with its flat face. To this end a semi-circular cam disk 40 is fixed to frame 10 concentric to the propeller shaft 33 and parallel to the plane of movement of the propeller. This disk 40 is adapted to be engaged at each turn 'of the propeller by a finger 41 fiXed to rod 31 and acting in conjunction with a spring 42 to hold the forwardly moving blade edgewise to the air. The spring 42 may be coiled around the rod 31 in a recess in head 32 and connected at one end to the rod and at its opposite end to the head. When the finger 41 rides off the cam 40 the spring 42 gives the rod 31 a quarter turn, bringing a lug 44 on the rod into engagement with a stop 45 on the head 32 andholding the rod against rotary movement until. the linger 41 again engages the cam disk.

It is believed that the manner of operation of my improved manually propelled aeroplane will he readily understood from the above description, the operator sitting on the 10 and working the pedals 37 to revolve the propeller blades 30. When suflicient speed has been obtained lever 22 is pulled to give the plane 14 an upward angle of incidence and cause the aeroplane to lift.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of theUnited States is as follows:

1. A- manually propelled aeroplane comprising a frame, front and rear wheels on which said frame is mounted, a post of Y- form projecting upward from the front of said frame, a pair of transversely spaced posts of telescopic construction at the rear end of said frame, a lifting plane pivoted upon the branched upper end of said front post, links connecting the upper ends of said rear posts with said plane, a spring element acting to move the rear end of said plane upward, and means for moving the rear end of said plane downward and loclo ing it in adjusted positions against upward movement.

2. A manually propelled aeroplane comprising a frame, front and rear wheels on which said frame is mounted, a post of form projecting upward from the front of said frame, a pair of transversely spaced posts of telescopic construction comprising upper sections fitting into lower sections at the rear end of said frame, said lower sec tions being vertically slotted and said upper sections having feet projecting through said slot, tension springs connecting said feet to the upper ends of the lower sections,'a lifting plane pivoted on the branched upper end of said lower post, links connecting said plane, with the said upper rear post sections, and means for moving the rear end of said plane downward against such spring and locking it in adjusted positions against upward movement.

Tn testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature. I

BELA TOMKAY. 

